I recently shared a photo of my short- to medium-term tobacco storage solution which uses 5 mil aluminum foil and mylar ziplock bags. Upon opening a 50g tin, I transfer the remaining tobacco to these bags. These store neatly in a shoebox-shaped tray. This is not only compact, but makes finding the tobacco quick and easy. This system has worked splendidly for me for the 9-months or so that I've been using the system. That said, the majority of these bags are kept in either my humidified locker at the cigar store or my floor-standing, metal-lined Dunhill humidor, so those bags all have a extra layer of protecting against dehydration. I keep some aromatics in an open tray in my basement utility room as well. I haven't noticed any loss of moisture in any of these.
Predictably and understandably, my post resulted in cries that only glass jars are sufficient for tobacco storage. Another suggested that heat sealing was necessary. There is likely truth in all of these concerns, but I wanted to determine conclusively not just for myself, but also for the pipe community whether these bags were sufficient for say, three years of storage. That's my goal for these -- three years. For most pipe smokers, I think that's a more than reasonable amount of time to finish an open 50g tin.
Here's my methodology for the test. I am using Peter Stokkebye Proper English as the test tobacco. It came from a single glass 1-1/2 pint jar that I cellared about a year ago. The hydration of that tobacco should be very consistent. In addition, since I believe it lacks casing, it is likely to give up moisture faster than an aromatic, for instance. 20.0 grams of this tobacco were placed in 5 layer 5.0 Mil PET Aluminum foil mylar bag with only a zip closure and an identical quantity was placed in a new, wide-mouth 1/2 pt glass Ball jar with a brand new lid. This resulted in a modestly packed jar and a bag which is filled to less than half of its capacity. This should be a handicap for the bag, but I wanted to test an average amount of tobacco, so I chose around half a tin, since tobacco will be removed over time in normal use. The weight was tested and retested on a highly accurate Acaia scale which is accurate to 1/10th of a gram. To put this in perspective, 1/10th of a gram is the weight of two drops of water. In addition, I have a brass 20g control, to verify the scale's continued accuracy. These bags will be stored in an upstairs bedroom cabinet.
I will update this thread periodically over the next three years with the results.
Hopefully, this scientific approach will provide reliable information on whether or not these bags are a viable solution for short- to medium-term storage. Since I have no thought of using these for cellaring, I am choosing not to test heat-sealing them.
Here's what the system looks like, with a Dunhill tin shown to provide a size perspective.
Predictably and understandably, my post resulted in cries that only glass jars are sufficient for tobacco storage. Another suggested that heat sealing was necessary. There is likely truth in all of these concerns, but I wanted to determine conclusively not just for myself, but also for the pipe community whether these bags were sufficient for say, three years of storage. That's my goal for these -- three years. For most pipe smokers, I think that's a more than reasonable amount of time to finish an open 50g tin.
Here's my methodology for the test. I am using Peter Stokkebye Proper English as the test tobacco. It came from a single glass 1-1/2 pint jar that I cellared about a year ago. The hydration of that tobacco should be very consistent. In addition, since I believe it lacks casing, it is likely to give up moisture faster than an aromatic, for instance. 20.0 grams of this tobacco were placed in 5 layer 5.0 Mil PET Aluminum foil mylar bag with only a zip closure and an identical quantity was placed in a new, wide-mouth 1/2 pt glass Ball jar with a brand new lid. This resulted in a modestly packed jar and a bag which is filled to less than half of its capacity. This should be a handicap for the bag, but I wanted to test an average amount of tobacco, so I chose around half a tin, since tobacco will be removed over time in normal use. The weight was tested and retested on a highly accurate Acaia scale which is accurate to 1/10th of a gram. To put this in perspective, 1/10th of a gram is the weight of two drops of water. In addition, I have a brass 20g control, to verify the scale's continued accuracy. These bags will be stored in an upstairs bedroom cabinet.
I will update this thread periodically over the next three years with the results.
Hopefully, this scientific approach will provide reliable information on whether or not these bags are a viable solution for short- to medium-term storage. Since I have no thought of using these for cellaring, I am choosing not to test heat-sealing them.
Here's what the system looks like, with a Dunhill tin shown to provide a size perspective.
